


Wicked Game

by rachelpalaski



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Complicated Relationships, Crushes, Enemies, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Identity Reveal, LadyNoir - Freeform, Love, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Miraculous Ladybug Origins, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Umbrella Scene (Miraculous Ladybug), Unrequited Love, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien, love square, no umbrella scene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2019-07-06 18:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15891228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rachelpalaski/pseuds/rachelpalaski
Summary: A Miraculous Ladybug AU (alternate universe) where the umbrella scene never occurred. Adrien never apologizes to Marinette, and she never develops feelings for him. In fact, the two develop a deep hatred towards one another. Meanwhile, Ladybug finds herself falling head over heels for a particular cat and Chat Noir is falling just as hard. A complicated love story where the two ate their lover's alter ego. What could possibly go wrong?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first ever fanfication I've ever written so please bear with me. Also, I am a senior in high school taking all AP classes. I may not update as much as I'd like to! But this AU came to me one day in the car (If it's been done before, let me know so I can give credit). Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Origin Story
> 
> *Includes original script of Origins Part 2 with minor editing. Most changes are seen at end of chapter*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have posted this story on one other platform which is Wattpad. It is posted under the same username!  
> If you see this posted on any other forum, please report and have taken down. THANK YOU!

"You're one of Chloe's friends, right?"

Adrien finally locks eyes with the girl in front of him before speaking, "why do people keep saying that?" The small figure crosses her arms before going and removing the gum from her seat.

Adrien frowns before turning to go to his seat as well. He didn't want to explain why he was over at the girl's seat. Chloe was his only friend and he couldn't throw her under the bus like that. Even if it was her doing in the first place.

"Sabrina, sit next to Nino. Adrikins should sit next to me for today," the auburn haired girl does exactly what Chloe orders without a question asked.

Adrien sits down next to Chloe before looking around the classroom. Everyone is staring at him. He's used to being stared at, especially during fashion week, but they weren't staring out of admiration, more of disgust. Adrien frowned not understanding why everyone already hated him.

He hears the two girls from before in a conversation. They were talking about him, so he decided to listen in at the last second, "Daddy's boy, teen supermodel, and Chloe's buddy? Ha! Forget it!" The one with ombré hair said

Immediately Adrien clenches his fists together. He hated when people judged him based off of who his father was. Nobody understands or cares what his life is actually like. It's way more than runways and after parties. Maybe he didn't need to be friends with everyone at this school: especially ones too quick to judge.

"Who are those girls?" Adrien asks Chloe, nodding his head in their general direction.

"I already told you Adrikins, they're the brats I wanted to put in their place." Chloe explains

"No," He shakes his head "I know that, what are their names?"

"The one with the bad ombré hair is Alya, and that one," Chloe narrows her eyes, "is the worst person at this school. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Don't go near her."

Marinette... Adrien took a minuet to study her. He looked at her jet black hair and how they were perfectly sectioned into two nice pig tails. He could see her eyes from here, but he clearly remembered them from their brief encounter just moments ago: deep blue and sparkly like a sapphire. Her clothes had the color scheme of black, white, and pink. She seemed... nice. Adrien didn't know how someone like her would ever be cruel or be someone to look out for, but Chloe never steered him the wrong way, so he might as well bide by her advice.

He was about to ask why to avoid her, but attendance was beginning. The teacher started calling out names and a panic began to rise up in his chest. What was he supposed to do? He'd never been to a school before, everything was so new.

"Agreste, Adrien?" Mlle Bustier calls out.

Adrien's blood runs cold, but before he goes into a full blown anxiety attack, Chloe nudges him, "say you're present."

Adrien quickly jumps from his seat and raises his hand before yelling, "present!"

The class bursts into laughter and Adrien feels blood rush to his cheeks. Frowning, he sissy down and covers his face. Great. First day of school and he's already embarrassing himself in front of everyone.

Chloe softly places a hand on his arm, "hey. It's okay. They all can judge you all they want, but it doesn't change the fact this is new to you. Don't be embarrassed. Especially not in front of me. Okay?"

He looks up momentarily to meet his friend's eyes before smiling, "Thanks Chlo."

"Bourgeois, Chloe?" Mlle Bustier says

"Present."

"Bruel, Ivan?"

And just like that, class ends as quickly as it starts. An acumatized Ivan burst into the room, causing everyone to panic. 

Adrien quickly got up from his seat and runs to his locker to reveal Plagg, "My first day of school and I don't even make it past roll call." The blonde says cheekily

"A day off? Now that's what I'm talking about!" The black Keanu replies

"Oh no. We've got homework to do. Plagg, claws out!"

Adrien intently watches how his normal clothes magically transform into his leather black suit. It's a weird feeling he hasn't gotten used to yet. Not only does his clothing and hairstyle change, but the way he feels does as well. He feels stronger and more agile as Chat Noir than he does as Adrien.

Adrien walks over to a mirror in the locker room and looks at Chat Noir. A smile appears on his face, "If people here don't like Adrien, I'll make them like Chat Noir."

Adrien hears a familiar voice coming from outside, "You have no idea who you're dealing with! My daddy, the mayor, will bring the police, the army, and the entire cavalry!" Oh Chloe...

Chat Noir took this as a cue to get to the scene of the crime before anyone got hurt from the akuma or Chloe.

Chat Noir quickly escapes from a window and spots Stoneheart carrying Chloe and another girl named Mylene, "And don't forget about superheroes!" He adds on to Chloe's list before smashing Stoneheart with his staff.

Much to Chat's dismay, Stoneheart only grows bigger, "super incompetent, you mean." Chloe says rolling her eyes. Huh, why did Chloe act like this? She never did when he was around.

Chat didn't have time to think about the reason. Soon enough, copies of Stoneheart surrounded him. Chat looked around in order to analyze where exactly he should jump to avoid being crushed by the Stoneheart replicas. Ivan walks away with Mylene and Chloe, but Chat can't chase him without being killed.

The Stonehearts start picking up cars and throwing them at Chat. Luckily he's agile enough to dodge them, but he knows he can't fight them forever, "If you can hear me, Ladybug, I could use a little help!" Chat Noir screams, but it doesn't matter. Before he can even get the sentence out, the stonehearts capture him and start walking away, leaving Chat without his weapon.

Panic surges up inside Chat. Nobody would ever grow to like him if he couldn't save Paris from akumas. He starts pushing in every direction with all his might, but nothing works. Chat was about to give up until he hears the voice of Ladybug and the feeling of his staff in his hands.

"Chat Noir. Extend it!" Ladybug screams. Chat does just that and he falls to the ground. Soon enough, Ladybug's yo-yo wraps around his leg before he's pulled upside down and hanging from a lamp post.

Chat takes this little moment to stare at Ladybug. She's breathtakingly gorgeous, "M'Lady, have I ever told you you turn my world upside down?"

Chat Noir sees a small blush creep upon Ladybug's cheeks, "quite the jokester, aren't you?" At that moment, Ladybug sees Stoneheart closing in around them. "But your comedic timing needs work. We gotta get out of here!" She yells before pulling Chat Noir with her yo-yo.

As they both jump across the buildings of Paris, Chat questions Ladybug, "Hey, aren't we going to take care of 'em?"

"No. If we wanna save them all, then we go to the source." She answers as they land in front of the Eiffel Tower "That one." She says referring to Ivan, the first Stoneheart.

Ladybug notices Chloe's father standing at the very base of the Eiffel Tower, yelling through a microphone to Stoneheart, "I demand my daughter's safe return!" Helicopters and police cars are closing in around the entire monument, trying to save Mylene and Chloe.

"Daddy!!" Chloe yells from Stoneheart's hand.

"You know what? You're welcome to her!" Stoneheart yells as he chucks Chloe off the Eiffel Tower.

As Ladybug watches the scene, her feet automatically start moving before she can process what is happening "Help! I promise I'll be nice to everyone, say please and thank you all--" Chloe screams just before Ladybug safely catches Chloe, "I didn't promise."

Ladybug give's Chloe a puzzled look, "What?"

 

Ladybug releases Chloe and she immediately runs into her father's arms to give him a hug, "My little princess..." Andre says, gladly accepting his daughter's embrace.

Seeing the scene unfold, the police officer gives orders to take down Stoneheart, "We're clear to attack!"

 

Ladybug immediately turns to face the forces, "Wait! No, don't attack them! You know it'll only make it worse!"

The police officer, Roger, scoffs at Ladybug "I have a new plan, unlike you! Move aside and let the pros do their thing. You've already failed once!"

Ladybug's lips part as she lets out a gasp. She feels her heart begin to shrink as thoughts of humiliation and detestation take over her mind. A noticeable frown appears on her face, and Chat Noir never wants to see such a beautiful girl frown ever again, "He's right, you know." Ladybug begins to say, "If I had captured Stoneheart's akuma the first time around, none of this would have happened! I knew I wasn't the right one for this job..."

Cat Noir Furrows his eyebrows together before shaking his head and placing his hands on Ladybug's shoulders, "No. He's wrong, because without you, she'd no longer be here. And because without us, they won't make it, and we'll prove that to 'em." He watches Ladybug turn to look at Chloe before turning her back to focus on his words, "Trust me on this. Okay?"

 

Ladybug looks up at this beautiful boy who has complete faith in her: faith she doesn't even have in herself. How could someone she just met make her feel so amazing? She feels blood rush to her face and she knows she's blushing. Was she developing a crush so soon? Was that even possible? Ladybug takes a moment to process these thoughts before blinking a few times and smiling, "Okay."

Their sweet moment is soon interrupted by Stoneheart coughing up... black butterflies? The heroic duo had never seen anything so strange before... well maybe the magical floating fairies, but this was definitely a close second. The butterflies formed a face, and that face spoke.

"People of Paris, listen carefully. I am Hawk Moth."

Ladybug and Chat Noir raise an eyebrow in confusion, "Hawk Moth?" They both say.

"Ladybug, Cat Noir, give me the ladybug earrings and the now. You've done enough damage to these innocent people!"

Ladybug smirks and starts to move forward as she gives a small, sarcastic clap "Nice try, Hawk Moth, but we know who the bad guy is. Let's not reverse the roles here. Without you, none of these innocent victims would be transformed into villains. Hawk Moth, no matter how long it takes, we will find you, and YOU will hand us YOUR miraculous!"At that moment, Ladybug charges at Hawkmoth with yo-yo. She captures all the butterflies that made up his face and purifies them. "Time to de-evilize!" 

Ladybug then turns around to address the people of Paris, "Let me make this promise to you. No matter who wants to harm you, Ladybug and Cat Noir will do everything in our power to keep you safe!" She opens her yo-yo and the purified butterflies come out.

Chat Noir stares in awe at this amazing girl before him. He is speechless as he feels like his own heart fills with purified butterflies. He liked this girl, and he would do everything in his power to let her know how amazing she was, "Wow. Whoever she is beneath that mask, I love that girl." He said to nobody except himself

Stoneheart then mutters "Okay, Hawk Moth," he must have still been in contact with this 'Hawkmoth'

Mylène screams as Stoneheart stands up, "Help me!"

 

Stoneheart starts to climb up the Eiffel Tower, "You'll never take Mylène from me! Come to me, my stone beings!" 

Chat Noir looks down to see the rest of the Stonehearts climbing up the base of the tower, "We're surrounded! What do we do now? We can't attack him."

Ladybug turns to face stone heart, "Yes, but we know where the akuma is"

Chat Noir raises an eyebrow, "In his clenched fist. The one he's holding Mylène with. So..." He is confused on what to do with this information.

Ladybug finishes his sentence, "So we know he's in love with her..." she gasps, "That's it! We don't separate Stoneheart and Mylène: we bring them closer together! They're made for one another! It's just that they don't know it yet." ladybug swings her yo-yo and starts climbing the tower as well.

"Uhh... Not really following you, but guess I better trust you. Something tells me that this is how it's gonna be from here on out." Chat looks directly at the camera like they do in the office. (and this is where Thomas breaks the fourth wall in the show xD)

 

They both do some awesome tricks to get to the satellites at the top of the Tower. (Idk how to write it, just watch the clip, its crazy good animation). 

Mylène looks up at Ladybug, who is perched at the very top of the tower, "Help! I'm scared of heights!"

Ladybug yells back "Everything's gonna be alright!"

The other Stonehearts close in on Chat Noir, but he quickly rolls away from their reach, "How are you planning to get them closer than they already are?"

 

"By using our powers! Lucky Charm!" A parachute appears, "A parachute? What am I supposed to do with this?" 

Chat Noir gets thrown by Stoneheart and screams, "You sure you know what you're doing?" He asks as he lands

Ladybug puts on the backpack, "We'll find out soon enough!" She throws her yo-yo and ties it around Stoneheart's hand, the one holding Mylene, "His hand! Get ready!" She tells Shat before pulling the string, making Mylene kiss Stoneheart. This makes stone heart drop the akumatized paper.

Chat Noir leaps from the tower to catch the paper, before he literally uses his baton like a bat to hit it up to Ladybug. He then catches himself in-between the crack of the tower.

"Home run!" Ladybug says as she catches the paper, ripping it, "No more evil-doing for you, little akuma. De-evilize! Huh?" Before she can finish purifying the alums, Stoneheart turns back into Ivan and slips from the tower, taking Mylene with him. She jumps from the tower, "Chat Noir, take care of Ivan!"

Chat Noir acts quickly to his Lady's command, "Cataclysm!" he yells before slamming his hand on the tower. A part of it falls, allowing him to slide on it and catch Ivan.

Meanwhile, like the badass she is, Ladybug catches the Akuma in her yo-yo while simultaneously catching Mylene and pulling the parachute, "Gotcha!"

The now hanging Chat Noir looks down at his Lady admiringly. Could she be more amazing and full of surprises? Probably, and he was excited to be surprised by her every day. Chat Noir felt himself falling, but not from the tower... no no no. He felt himself falling for her. 

As soon as Ladybug and Mylene landed, Ladybug realizes the now pure butterfly, "Bye-bye, little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!" Throwing her yo-yo into the air, all of Paris returns to normal. 

Chat Noir looks around any the literal magic before him as Paris returns to normal, "Whoa. Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Ladybug looks around in awe as well, "Yeah. It's beautiful and amazing. It's...um...miraculous!"

Chat smirks before taking ahold of Ladybug's hand, "Not as miraculous and as beautiful as you, M'lady." He slowly brings her had to his mouth as he softly kisses it, never breaking eye contact with her.

Ladybug is speechless as she blushes. A tingle of warmth from the contact of his lips runs all the way up her arm, completely overtaking her own body. She could definitely purify akumas, but she could not get rid of the damn butterflies gathering in her stomach at the moment... but she didn't really want to. She liked him, and by the looks of it, he liked her too. Maybe this could be something... well miraculous. 

 

After Chat's lips part from her hand, Ladybug turns to Mylene and Ivan, "I think you two have things to talk about. Hm?"

"Oh, uh... I... Uh..." Ivan stutters, looking away from Mylene. 

"Maybe it would help if you read the lyrics to Ivan's song." Ladybug says giving the paper to Mylene.

 

Mylene reads the paper, "Wow, it's really beautiful. It's a shame you can't hear them when you scream. I mean, when you sing." Ladybug walks back over to Chat.

"It was scary, wasn't it. Is that why you left? I'm sorry, I'll be gentle." He says softly. Just the, Mylene throws her arms around Ivan and hugs him.

"Oh, they're so made for each other." Ladybug says admiring the new couple in front of them.

Chat Noir smirks and turns to Ladybug, "Like us too."

Ladybug bites her lip and attempts (but fails) to hide her blush, "yeah.. a lot like us actually."

It was obvious that Chat was surprised by her response, "R-really?" He stutters, "You mean... you... I..." He tries to gather words to say, but he cannot physically form words. This beautiful, amazing, talented, badass girl likes him too. How could he speak after the impossible coming possible? "Would you like to meet up somewhere tonight? I'd love to see you again M'Lady."

Ladybug turns to him just as his miraculous begins to beep, "I would love to Chaton." Chat Noir's heart stops beating. 'Chaton.' He had a nickname. 

"Top of the Eiffel Tower... 18:00 hours?" He asks as his miraculous beeps again. (Fun fact: the French 24 hour time. So 6:00 pm for those who don't read 24 hour time).

Ladybug does something very bold and not Marinette like at all, but right now, she wasn't Marinette, She was Ladybug. Ladybug stood and her tip toes and kissed Chat Noir on the cheek, "18:00 hours it is, in costume. Can't wait kitty."

Chat Noir watches her leave the area as he places his own hand over the spot she kissed him. His cheeks were probably the shade of Nathaniel's hair at this point. "Can't wait, m'lady."

~~~~~~~~~

*back at school the same day*

"So, by the time I went to the Eiffel Tower, it was all over. I'm way bummed." Alya complains to Marinette as they walk upon the steps back to class

"Don't worry. You'll get your scoop eventually."

"You're right. Next target: Ladybug, an exclusive interview!" 

Marinette fans herself "Ooh. Sounds exciting!" she states, supporting her friend

"Oh, wait! Even better: finding out who's really under that mask." Alya says waling into the school

"Uh-huh. Good luck with that one."

Adrien's car pulls up to the school as he is talking over video chat with his father.

"You disobeyed me, Adrien. Take a look at that school." Gabriel says angrily at his son

"Yes, Father..." Adrien says sadly while putting his head down, ashamed. 

"You will never, I say, never go back there again..."

"Father, no..." Adrien pleads. He couldn't go back to be isolated in his house. He could not stand another day with his dad. After his mother disappeared, his dad had always acted differently. He was more cold towards Adrien. It was like his father didn't even see Adrien anymore... he was In his own depressed world. missing his wife and not giving a man about his son. Adrien had to go to public school. He needed human contact. He needed friends more than he needed air.

"Without your bodyguard. He will drop you off and pick you off every day." his father finishes. Adrien's eyes widen as he gasps. He could cry tears of joy right now. "Nathalie has offered to organize you a new schedule. You'll be continuing your music, Chinese, and fencing classes and your photoshoots."

"Thank you, Nathalie. Thank you, Father!" Adrien barley gets out before sprinting from his car. 

Marinette notices Alya go to the seats they were at earlier this morning "No, wait." Marinette sits in the spots where the horrors Chloe and Adrien sat today, just as Chloe and Adrien walk in together.

"Uhh... You're in the wrong seat. Go on, get lost!" Chloe says to Marinette.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing!" Marinette states.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Chloe asks crossing her arms in front of her.

Marinette rises from her seat, "It means that I'm not putting up with your crud anymore, Chloé, and neither is anyone else around here... well, except him," Marinette narrows her eyes at Adrien, "so both of you take your attitudes and go on, get lost!" She says pointing to the seat she was in earlier that day. All the other classmates laugh at Chloe and Adrien as they take their new seats.

Adrien narrows his eyes at Marinette. She was not going to get the last word in, "we're the one's with the bad attitude? How about you take a look at yourself Marinette. You don't even know me. I was trying to take the gum off your seat, but of course, you don't care to hear the other side of the story. You know what? I'm glad you hate me. I wouldn't want to be friends with a girl like you anyways." 

Marinette's blood boils. Oh he was going to get it now, "Oh I'm so hurt by pretty boy's big words. How about you go cry to your dad about how hard life is for you right now." She said, using the most hurtful words she could think of.

"Why you little-" Adrien begins to say, standing up, but Chloe, of all people, stops him.

Chloe grabs Adrien's arm and pulls him back until her lips touch his ear, "It's not worth it. She is not worth it. You're so much better than she could ever be Adrien." she whispers in his ear.

Adrien lets out another angry grunt before quietly sitting down next to his one true friend. At least he was going to see Ladybug tonight, and that though alone made him smile again.

"Girl, what was that? That wasn't you." Alya says as Marinette sits back down. 

"I don't know Alya. He just gets me so upset. Chloe's bullied me all my life, and I'm tired of it. I can't let her new friend make me disappointed in myself again... I can't go back to that place."

Alya frowns, she knew very well what that place was like for Marinette, and it was a place Alya never wanted her friend to go to again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette walks from the building and sees it's raining, so she steps back under the arch to avoid getting wet. Soon, Adrien appears.

Marinette ignores him and turns away. He opens his umbrella and smirks at her, "See you tomorrow, miss Dupain-Cheng."

"Go to hell." Marinette scoffs.

Adrien just laughs, "I guess I can't ignore orders from the devil herself," he says as he walks down the stairs.

Marinette grunts angrily, but she doesn't have a good comeback, so she lets him have the last words. She watches him get into his car before feeling a wetness on her cheek. At first she thinks it's rain, but she soon realizes it's tears as she tastes the salt. 

"Please... not again." She cries to herself, "I can't go through this again."

From down the street, Master Fu and Wayzz watch the scene unfold, "Are you sure you made the right choice master?"

Master Fu smiles softly and looks at his Kwami, "Those two represent yin and yang. They are so different, yet they cannot be complete without each other. They will realize soon enough that they were made for each other. I have faith."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chat Noir gets to the Eiffel Tower 20 minuets before their meeting time. He was too excited, to see her, and his day had been crappy enough already.

These were the longest 20 minuets of his life though. He fixed his hair about 5,000 times, and the rest of the time is spent panicking about seeing her again. But alas, the 20 minuets to end as he sees a red figure swing her way over to him.

"Hi kitty." She says with the cutest smile plastered on her face as she lands right in front of him.

Chat bows, taking her hand and kissing it, "M'lady. How are you this lovely evening?"

Ladybug sighs, "do you want the truth or the typical 'good, how's yours?' gesture?"

Chat laughs before pulling out the black umbrella he had earlier today. it hadn't stopped raining, "Ladybug, I want to get to know you so we can trust each other... you can tell me the truth." 

Ladybug sighs and stays silent for a moment before answering, not noticing that Chat held the umbrella over both of them, "I've been bullied my whole life at school by this one girl. Every day, and she made me feel.. worthless. So worthless to the point I hated being me. But then, I get this magical kwami, and suddenly I'm so proud to be me. I stood up to her and told her to leave me alone..." tears start to form I her eyes and they fall down her cheeks, "but then this boy. Ugh this stupid boy shows up and then starts bullying me too... and I can't deal with that again. I just can't go back to that place Ch-"

Her sentence is interrupted by his lips connecting with hers. It's hesitant at first, like he's scared he did the wrong thing. But soon enough, she returns there kiss. It's filed with so many emotions. Sadness, anger, relief... he could feel all of it through one simple kiss.

Chat pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes, "you will never go back to that place. I won't allow for that to happen. Whoever these people are, they are complete assholes who don't know how to deal with their own anger. There is nothing wrong with you m'lady. You are radiant. And don't you dare let anybody make you think you are less than that."

Just at that moment, the umbrella closes onto both of their heads. They both are in shock as they process what just happened until Chat Noir bursts into laughter. It doesn't take long for Ladybug to start laughing as well. They both laugh until they cry, but this time, they were tears of joy. 

Ladybug is the first to stop laughing, and Chat Noir's heart sinks a little. He was intoxicated by her laughter. Ladybug opened the umbrella and looks at the male before her, "Thank you Chaton. I needed to hear those words..." she then leaned in and kissed him this time. The emotions behind it were different. She wasn't shy or angry, but now she was content, happy, and safe. This boy was about to turn her world upside down, and Ladybug was more than ready for it.

Neither Adrien nor Marinette believed in love at first sight, but Ladybug and Chat Noir certainly did. It was a weird feeling neither of them could come up with a logical explanation for, but the only way either one of them could describe it was if felt as though they were made for each other. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N

Hey! So I hope you liked this little prologue to set up the AU. It's really long, sorry for that (it's literally 4,000 words. oops). I'm really excited for this fanfic!

Disclaimer: I'm in my senior year of high school rn, so I don't have a regular update schedule, but I will try and update as soon as I can! 

Please vote and comment if you like this and let me know how I can improve. Thanks!!


	2. Chapter 2

*Three months later*

Adrien's POV

 

 

It was a Friday night, meaning it was Chloe and my weekly movie night. Usually we usually have them at my house, but this week, the Miraculous Ladybug and Chat Noir movie was finally out. We decided to go to the midnight show to see it. I was curious to see how everything was played out. I wanted to see how this actor portrayed me, but I mostly wanted to see how well they portrayed Ladybug. Of course nobody could ever be Ladybug, no matter how amazing of an actress she was. They couldn't act her nose twitch every time she's thinking about something, or how her bluebell eyes lit up when she figured out a solution. They would never be able to capture her perfect laugh. God, I could listen to that pure sound for the rest of my life. Everything about her was perfect. All her flaws her perfect, and even when she messed up or pissed me off sometime... she was still perfect. I love this girl. I really do.

Chloe is probably Ladybug's second favorite fan, next to me of course. She has been talking about this movie ever since it was mentioned shortly after Chat Noir and Ladybug's debut three months ago. Of course nobody else knows this except for me since nobody even cares to ask. Ever since I came to school, her and Sabrina grew farther apart and joined Marinette and her friends... which was the rest of the school. So yes, I didn't reach my goal of making new friends, but it isn't my fault. I try to talk to people, but ever since the gum incident, nobody gives me a second glance.

I don't mind as much anymore, I have Chloe, and despite what anyone else thinks, she does have a good soul. Her mean front is just a defense mechanism for her past... but again, nobody cares.

My thoughts are interrupted as I hear, "Adrikins!" from my bedroom door. I turn to see her in a full on Ladybug replica suit. I smile before looking down at my own Ladybug shirt.

"You always have to out do me, don't you Chloe?" I smirk as she walks and sits down on my bed.

"Of course I do. Your father may be the fashion designer, but my mom is the fashion critic. Critics put always outdo the designer," she says with a subtile smirk. I roll my eyes playfully at her before she speaks again, "but we have exactly 15 minutes to get to this midnight showing, so LET'S GO!!" Chloe says before grabbing my arm to physically drag me off my bed and out of my room.

"You're going to dislocate my shoulder." I groan as we speedwell down the steps.

"Oh quit your whining and drink more milk. If a mild pull dislocates your bones, you really are a weakling."

"And where are we off to this evening?" Both Chloe and I stop in our tracks as we hear my father's cold voice cut from the top of the stairs. Chloe looks at me, and I nod before she lets go of my arm. I slowly turn to face my father.

"If it is alright with you, father, we would like to see the new Ladybug and Chat Noir movie tonight in theaters," I don't meet his eyes, I rarely ever do. Is it normal to be scared of your own father? I don't know. I never will know. 

"You will be accompanied by Nathalie and your body guard. You will sit in the very back of the theater so you won't be seen, and before the credits start rolling, you will be in the car to take mademoiselle Bourgeois home. Understood?"

"Yes father, thank you father," I say meekly before turning from him and grabbing Chloe. Now I'm the one to drag her out.

"He just needs time Adrien. It's only been a few months since your mother disappeared. He just cares for you... he doesn't want to lose you either," Chloe says softly as we get into the car. Nathalie and Gorilla are in the front. I roll up the divider in the limo so I can talk to Chloe privately. 

"If this is his way of 'caring for me,' I rather him not even acknowledge my existence."

"You don't mean that."

"Oh, but I do. I miss my mother too. But I don't take my anger out on every living soul-" I stop my sentence as I realize what I just said. Chloe does that to our classmates, "I didn't mean-"

She cuts me off, "Adrikins, it's all right. I know I'm mean to everyone. It's not a secret or anything. But in knowing me, and still bearing with me... maybe you can bear your dad a little while longer? You and I both know this isn't really him."

I look over to her as the car starts driving towards the theater and let out a shallow breath, "you're right," I shrug.

Chloe smirks, "I always am. You just have to get better at realizing that."

I roll my eyes yet again. Chloe always has her way of making me feel better. I wish she could show more people how amazing of a person she is behind her thick armor. Maybe it's my job to break her out of that cold shell so she can shine like the sun.

 

 

We arrive at the theater in exactly 13 minutes, which gives us plenty of time to get tickets and snacks, "I'll get the tickets. You get the popcorn. Extra butter!" Chloe orders before running over to the ticket booth. 

I make my way over to the snacks and order Chloe a large popcorn with as much butter as they allow along with a soda. I get myself a small popcorn, no butter, and a water. I like modeling, but sometimes I wish I could afford butter on my popcorn, ya know? As I pay for the food, Chloe sighs and shakes her head at the contents I hold in my hand.

"Excuse me sir, my friend ordered the wrong thing. He would also like a large popcorn with butter and a soda. We expect it to be free since you messed it up the first time." 

"But he ordered-" the man at the counter started.

"Do you know who I am? I'm the mayor of Paris's daughter and this is Adrien Agreste. Do you want to keep this run of the mill job? I bet so. So give us our food NOW!"

The man behind the counter turns to get the new order and I barrow my eyes at Chloe, "You and I both know I can't eat this. And you didn't have to be rude. I thought we were working on you letting down your walls."

"Adrikins, this is a special night. You deserve all the butter for it. Just wake up an extra 30 minutes earlier tomorrow and run before fencing practice if you're that worried," she doesn't respond to my second statement, and before I can confront her about it again, the man comes back with the new popcorn and drink.

"Took you long enough," Chloe says rolling her eyes as she grabs the food and me, dragging us both to the theater.

We try to sit in the way back, but since we are late, there are only middle seats open. As Chloe and I walk down the aisle, we spot them, and they unfortunately spot us as well.

"The two most horrible people in all of Paris coming to see a superhero movie? How ironic," the jet black haired devil says as we walk past their row. I give her a once over. She herself is wearing a Chat Noir inspired piece. Probably one she made herself. I hate that girl, but even I have to admit she has talent.

"Can you for once in your life just shut your big mouth Marinette? Oh wait, no, you can't. I forgot you would need duct tape to keep it closed," I shoot back, obviously not in the mood to fight with her at the moment.

"Oh and look at this... Chloe Bourgeois dressing up as Ladybug? Now that is hilarious."

I feel anger boil up inside me, "Chloe would make a better Ladybug than you ever could, Princess," I smirk using the nickname she so despises.

marinate lets out a small laugh, "Whatever you say pretty boy," she shakes her head like I'm missing a major detail. I raise my eyebrow at her before continuing down the aisle and taking a seat next to Chloe.

"You did a very good job at keeping your cool Chloe," I admit as she shoves a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"I told you this from the first day of school: some fights just aren't worth it. And Marinette is not even worth giving the time of day."

It was true, Chloe has never really acknowledge Marinette, unless absolutely necessary, since I came to school. I don't know what changed or why, but I was now Marinette's main enemy. I didn't really mind it though. Tormenting her was fun, especially since she sucked at being mean sometimes. She always ended up embarrassing herself by not coming up with the right words or literally stumbling over herself. A clumsy one she is. 

The commercials ended and the movie started, and I could already tell I was going to love it. If only Chloe and I chose a different time to see the movie: a different time other than when Marinette and everyone else was here. I could hear every single word they said. 

"Who does Mr. Model think he is?"

"Why are they even here?"

"Did you see Chloe's costume? Pathetic!"

"Hypocrites."

"They make me want to die."

"Arrogant assholes."

"The perfect couple from hell"

They all just kept coming. Insult after insult, and usually I'm good at ignoring it, but something about literally being on the screen, being appreciated by them for being Chat made this hit home. How could they all love Chat Noir, but hate me? Where did I go wrong? Why can't I change this? I clench my hands into fist before pushing myself up from my seat and running out of the theater.

"Aww. Gonna go cry to you daddy?" I hear Alya say as I pass their row. I turn to look at them and my eyes land on Marinette. She looks... sad? Sorry? Regretful? I can't make it out.

"Don't any of you know when to stop? How can you possibly be pleased with yourselves?" I ask shaking my head and turn to look at them and my eyes land on Marinette. She looks... sad? Sorry? Regretful? I can't make it out, but I don't care. I turn back around and find my way out onto the streets.

I look left and then right before just running. I run as fast as my feet can carry myself. I ignore the tears forming in my eyes. I can't cry now.

"Adrien!" I hear Chloe call my name, and then I feel her hand grab mine as she stops me. I turn to look at her, pain written all over my face. The tears, and her face, fall, "Adrien..."

"I don't get it!" I say, "Why do they all hate me? I've tried. You know I tried to be nicer to people... but they still hate me for the gum incident. I don't know what to do. How can I make them stop hating me?!" I cry out.

"You can't," Chloe says, as I notice her eyes becoming glassy as well, "people like them will never understand us. They never have. To them, we are just spoiled rich kids with perfect lives. To them we don't have problems, we don't have feelings, and we are never going to change the way we are," she takes a step closer to me and grabs my other hand, looking up at me before continuing, "but they are wrong. They will never care to know our problems. They will never care to know that my mother doesn't even bother to learn my own name. They will never care to know how isolated and filled with fear you have been all your life. They will never care to know who we truly are because all they see us is is nasty, spoiled, rich kids. That's what I've been all my life Adrien... and if they are too close minded to see us as people, then we give them what they want to see us as. Nasty, spoiled, rich kids."

I look down at her to see the tears spill from her eyes as she finishes her sentence, "that's why you don't pull down your walls."

Chloe lets go of my hands and crosses her arms over her chest before looking to the ground, " I've been in your position so many tomes Adrien. I wasn't always like this with everyone. Marinette even used to be my best friend when we were younger, next to you of course," she smirks at me as she finishes the last statement, "I tried so hard for people to like me, but jealously is a big thing when it comes to people. I got puppies and the most expensive toys for Christmas and my birthday. I always worse the top clothing brands.. and no matter what I did to win people over, that little green monster of jealousy took everyone away from me: including Marinette."

Chloe let out a sigh and looked up at the sky before continuing, "so one day, I just said 'screw them.' If that's the only thing they see me as, then it's what they will always see me as. I didn't need anymore fake relationships in my life. I already felt with fake relationships at home with my mom," Chloe's puffy eyes look to mine again, "and you Adrien Agreste do not deserve fake relationships in your life. If they choose to overlook who you are because of who your father is, it's their loss. And you need to remember that."

I wrap my arms around Chloe and pull her into a tight embrace. Without hesitation, she returns the hug, "thank you for always being there for me Chlo," I whisper softly.

"Forever and always Adrikins. You couldn't get rid of me even if you wanted to."

Chloe was right. I didn't need these people bringing me down. If they chose to see me as 'Mr. Model' to 'pretty boy' then that was their problem. Cause I'm so much more than those names. I'm Adrien Chat Noir Agreste, and I'm proud to be him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N

Hello! This chapter is half the length of last chapter (because of the script use last chapter), so expect all chapters to be this length from now on :)

I decided to give you the dynamic between this friendship between Chloe and Adrien. Yes, I'm painting Chloe in a different light because people are not all good or all bad. We are complex beings. And before you ask NO, they will not be a romantic pairing in this book. Chat loves Ladybug too much for that in this AU. 

I know that Marinette has been painted in a bad light so far, but don't worry, she won't be the devil forever. Next chapter will be from Marinette's pov and we will get to see her own reasoning behind hating Adrien. ALSO: Expect some Ladynoir as well ;))

My goal will to update at least once a week (most likely weekends), but do not hold me to it since I don't have exactly everything mapped out for this story yet. I have a ton of ideas I need to organize before posting final drafts. Thank you for understanding!

Remember to vote and comment if you liked this chapter and let me know what I can improve!!


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette's POV

 

"Don't any of you know when to stop?" His big, glassy, green eyes lock with mine, "How can you possibly be pleased with yourselves?"

I swear I hear his voice crack a bit in pain and sorrow, and when I do, I feel my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. I did this to him. I made him feel this way. He's crying because of what I did. 

I feel a gust of wind as Chloe passes all of us. She stops dead in her track before turning to us with a disgusted look plastered across her face, "and I thought we were the bullies."

That's all the acknowledgement Chloe allows us before pivoting on her heel and running after Adrien. As soon as she leaves, I hear Alya scoff.

"God. They hurt everybody in the class, cause so many akumas, and once they get a taste of their own medicine, they play victim. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic."

I turn to my best friend and frown a bit, "Yeah. They have caused pain, there’s no denying that, but are we any better for sinking down to their level?"

"Marinette, you can't be serious. Those two have been tormenting you for forever."

"It doesn't matter Alya. This isn't who I am. I'm not a person who wants to put others down. The only time I ever find it sort of okay is when they fire at me first or hurt you guys. But this? They just wanted to come and watch a movie like the rest of us. And what did we do? Made fun of them and made him cry! How are we any better than them right now? Actually, don't answer, because the answer is we aren't," 

I look back up at Alya and see her frowning. Her eyebrows are furrowed together, and I can tell she wants to say something to make me feel better, " Marinette-" Alya starts. But I don't let her finish

"I got to go Alya. I'll see you at school Monday," I pick up my purse and walk out of the theater, despite hearing Alya call after me. I'm utterly disgusted with how I acted. I should probably apologize. Oh dear lord, my head is going to be ripped from my shoulders.

I walk out the front door of the theater and look around. In the distance, I see Chloe and Adrien hugging. From here, I can notice his emotions just based off of his slouched posture. Yes, he's bending down to hug Chloe, but that's not what I'm talking about. His head hangs over her shoulder, and his knees look about ready to give out. I can physically see him shaking as he tries his best to hide the sobs that desperately want escape. It's like he's so physically exhausted he can't bear to put in the energy to hold himself up. She's supporting him: physically and emotionally because of something I did. I can’t bear to look at him like this anymore, even if I hate him.

I feel the nerves growing in my stomach as I begin walking over to them. I don’t hear anything except the click of my shoe against the wet pavement, and apparently that’s all they hear too. The next time I look up, Chloe is glaring at me and Adrien is… confused? Hurt? Probably both.

“What the hell do you want Dupain-Cheng?” Chloe spits.

I glance over at Adrien and then quickly look at the ground, “I just wanted to come and apologize,” I realize that it may be a little insensitive if I make this apology to my feet, so I look back up and meet Adrien’s eyes, “I’m sorry Adrien. That-the movie theater was so uncalled for. I know we don’t exactly get along, but you didn’t deserve to be attacked like that. You deserve to be treated like a human being, and we didn’t do that. So I’m sorry…”

Neither of them say anything, so I continue a little bit, “It’s kind of funny. Not in a ‘haha that’s funny’ type of way, but in… an ironic sense, I guess? But anyways, it’s ironic that we both look up to amazing superheroes like Chat Noir and Ladybug… but I didn’t do either of them justice by how I acted in there. I’m truly sorry Adrien. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but know I am sorry.”

I immediately revert my gaze back to the ground as I hear Chloe take in a breath, “If you’re sorry and really want to show how sorry you are, you’ll never talk to either one of us again.”

I hear shoes clacking on the pavement again, so I look up. When I do, I see a pair of green eyes looking back at me. I see his lips curve into a small smile. It left his face a quickly as it came, but I know it was his way of expressing gratitude for what I did. Are we friends now? No. I don’t think we ever will be, and I don’t want to be friends with him either. But maybe, just maybe, we don’t hate each other as much anymore. And for that, I am truly grateful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wait in our usual patrol spot. We patrol every Friday night. Do we need to? No, not really. It’s kind of just an excuse to see each other when we aren’t fighting akumas. Today we’re starting a bit later than usual since our movie came out. Yes, it’s very conceited, I know. But can you blame us? I mean, if there was a movie made about you, you would want to see it too. 

Unluckily for me, I didn’t get to see the whole thing because of the run in with Adrien. But that was more important than a movie that was thrown together in three months. How they managed to even create that in such a short period of time is beyond me.

“Hello, M’Lady,” I hear the familiar voice that never fails to make me smile from ear to ear.

“Bonjour Minou,” I say walking over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. The second I look up to meet his eyes, I know something is off with him. Something happened tonight, “tell me what’s wrong.”

Chat chuckles, “I don’t know how you can manage to read through me like that... But’s it’s nothing really. I’m not upset anymore. I’m kind of… majorly confused,” Chat kisses my cheek before pulling away in order to sit down on the roof’s edge. 

I quickly go to sit next to him as we both admire the view of the Eiffel Tower. We both love how it looks at night, “What are you confused about?”

“Her,” he says in an exhale.

“The black haired bimbo?” I ask raising an eyebrow. That was a lovely nickname the both of us gave to Chat’s enemy in school. We have one for Adrien too: the blonde bitch. Since we both agreed to not reveal anything major in our own lives, we created codes names for almost everyone.

He weakly nods his head, not turning to face me as he speaks, “yeah. She made me cry. Then she apologized for it. Like… genuinely apologized.”

“So, why does that make things confusing?”

“Cause it changes our whole dynamic. We always make fun of each other and hurt one another, but we’ve never apologized for it. I’ve made her cry before and I never apologized for it. I just… where do we stand now? Are we enemies still? I don’t think we could ever be friends, but our status has been thrown from being black and white into this weird grey area. Do we actually hate each other, or are we caught up in a stupid feud? I just… I don’t know. I don’t like living in grey.”

I look over at him and stare for a while. Chat’s situation is very similar to mine and Adrien’s. I rack my brain to come up with something to say, so I look back at the glowing tower and give the advice I would want for myself, “It sounds like you both have a mutual understanding of each other now. Maybe you won’t banter and hate each other now. It doesn’t mean you have to be friends, but at least it won’t be a war zone every time you walk into each other. You’re still enemies, but the only difference is you’ve come to a peace treaty. Doesn’t mean you hate her any less, or that she hates you any less, you’ve both just decided to stop the rapid fire. I may be weird, but it isn’t good to have hate in your heart.”

“Is it weird that I’m kind of sad about things changing? That we won’t be fighting all the time?”

“No,” I reply immediately, “it’s weird when relationships change, even when they’re not good relationships. Change is something we all hate. Like you said, living in the grey is weird”

I feel his hand casually slip around my waist as he pulls me closer to him. I carefully lay my head on his shoulder and I wrap my arms around his torso.

“Thank you M’Lady.”

“Of course Kitty. I’ll always be here for you, Love,” I feel his head lay on top of mine, and we stay content like this for what seems like hours. In reality, it was probably only a few minutes, but that doesn’t make it any less wonderful. 

I can feel the warmth radiate off of his body, and his familiar smell of lemongrass and citrus fills my nose. I turn my face a bit so I can plant a soft kiss on his neck and let his scent intoxicate me. Chat Noir pulls away from me just enough to lean in and kiss me properly. It was such a soft kiss, filled with emotions of gratitude and love. His hand presses firmly on my cheek, but he doesn’t place it there for a want of more contact. It’s there for reassurance to show me how much he cares. Kisses like this are my favorite. They’re close mouthed and soft, but they show the most love. 

Chat pulls away from me and rests his forehead on mine, “I wish I could know you in real life,” he says softly.

“Me too Chaton. But you know why we can’t know.”

“I know. Hawkmoth could akumatize one of us and that would be dangerous. But even so, it would be nice to be able to see you after school and to go on proper dates, not just our rooftop ones. I want to meet your family and introduce you to mine. I want to brag to the world that I have the most amazing girl on my side… I hate living a life where you aren’t in it. I want to live a normal life with you.”

“Newsflash, we aren’t normal. Being superheroes isn’t normal. Nothing about us is normal… but then again, what even is normal? This works for us. One day we will find out who we are, and that will be the best day of my life. But I can’t even bear the thought of being akumatized as my civilian self, and then attacking you as your civilian self because I know who Chat Noir is. If I ever hurt you-”

“I know. I know,” He interrupts before running his fingers through my hair. I started wearing my hair down instead of the same old pigtails, but only when I’m with Chat. He said he likes it when my hair flows free, “I’m not arguing against it. I just want to be selfish and have that fantasy live in my head for a while.”

I close my eyes, loving the feeling of him playing with my hair. It’s so calming and relaxing. Suddenly, I have a realization, “What if we went on actual dates… but Ladybug and Chat Noir. I mean, the public already knows we’re dating. We could set up private dinners at restaurants and stuff and have real, proper dates together.”

“That’s… not a bad idea Bugaboo,” Chat says as a smile plasters on his face, “It’s settled. Next Friday, we are going on a real, proper date. I will take care of everything, you just show up looking pretty.”

“I always look pretty,” I say with a small smirk on my face

“Correction, you always look radiant.”

I blush a little because of the statement. Radiant. He’s half wrong and half right. Ladybug is radiant, but Marinette is not, “where are we going on our first official date then?”

“Oh no, no, no, no, no. Sorry M’Lady, but that is classified information. Just dress as fancy as you can. Wear your mask. We will meet here, and then I will walk you to the secret date spot. Just know that it will be absolutely purrrfect.”

I practically snort at his dumb cat pun. He uses that one every single time I see him, “I’m sure it will be Chaton.”

“We should probably patrol before the sun comes up,” Chat says looking around the city.

“You’re right. I can’t meet you back here afterwards though. I have to help open my parent’s bakery tomorrow. Dad’s out of town at some culinary classes, so I have to help my mom out.”

I see Chat’s ears fall hearing this, “but that means I won’t be able to see you until our date.”

“Not if an akuma appears before then,” I say with a small wink.

“I have never wanted an akuma to appear so badly in my entire life.”

I roll my eyes at this statement, “You say that every week Chat.”

“And I mean it every week,” he says stepping closer to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. 

“I know you do,” I stand on my tip toes and place my head on his shoulder while my hands wrap around his neck. We stand in this embrace for a little while before I have to forcefully pry myself off of him, “but we really do need to go.”

“Until Friday then,” Chat says, saluting me, before leaping off the top of the roof into the night. 

I watch his silhouette against the lights of the Eiffel Tower, until it gets smaller and smaller, and then disappearing all together. Even then, I stand there for a few seconds before going off in my direction to patrol the rest of this busy city. Luckily there is nothing unusual happening, so I just swing back to my roof top, retransforming as soon I hit the ground.

I walk to my bedroom through the roof top door and Tikki immediately goes to snack on a few cookies over on my dresser. I look over to the clock, it’s 1:30. I should probably go to bed, but Chat saying ourt first date will be fancy made my anxiety spike. I need to make the perfect dress for this debut date.

As Ladybug, I wasn’t going to let her wear a generic dress on her first date. It had to be something beautiful and one of a kind. It would match Ladybug’s color scheme of course, since we were wearing only the masks and not the suits, which I’m thankful for. I don’t know if I could wear that spandex suit to dinner. I can barely tolerate it as is. It’s super itchy.

I walk over to my desk and take out my sketch book, sketching a few dress options. All resembled Ladybug’s suit, being a red base with black dots, but there was only one design that got me really excited. It was based off of my Chinese roots. I looked down at the red cheongsam with black Chinese symbols that translate to luck. I made sure to squeeze the symbol into a circle to represent Ladybug’s spots. It was a pretty typical length for a cheongsam: mid thigh with a modest slit going up the right leg. The buttons that close the cheongsam are miniature Ladybug yo-yos. I wanted to add a little bit of artistic taste, so I decided to make the sleeves cold shoulder and added two strings that crossover one another to imitate Ladybug’s yo-yo string. The beads at the end of the string were little yo-yos as well. It was perfect. Too bad I could only wear it as Ladybug.

As soon as I was done sketching the dress, I decided it was best to go to bed. I had to wake up in… two hours to help open the bakery. It was now 2:30 and I mentally chastised myself for staying up so late. At the same time, I really didn’t care. I was making the perfect dress for the perfect date with the most perfect human on this planet. Sleep can catch up with me later.

I close my sketchbook and place it back in it’s drawer before literally face planting into my bed. I didn’t even bother turning off the lights. I fell asleep rather quickly, but something weird happened that night. I dreamt of Adrien Agreste, and I cannot for the life of me come up with a reason as to why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I 100% stole the dress idea from the Miraculous Ladybug fan fiction titled "Back to Us" by DarkReyna16  
> I'll leave a link to the original artwork here (hope it works lol) lunararcher.tumblr.com/image/153169008829  
> The amazing artist is @lunararcher on tumblr  
> Also, if you haven't read "Back to Us" yet, it's a must read. It is my all time favorite MLB fanfiction
> 
> Anyways, so sorry for the late update. I finally know where this story is going, so I should be able to update more frequently!  
> I hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not very happy with this chapter. I've been trying to fix it for weeks now, but nothing seems to be working. However, I really want this story to continue and I refuse to let this one chapter stop me. Maybe one day I'll come back and fix it, but with that being said, I hope you enjoy anyways.

Adrien’s POV   
*Monday Morning* 

 

I hear my alarm go off, and the first thing I see is my physics book. I stare down and read over the page I was on. It’s about concave mirrors and how to know when the object in the mirror is upside down, upright, or not in the mirror at all. 

I won’t be tested on this for a few weeks, but I just love physics way too much. I know, I know: it’s not the coolest thing in the world, but it is the first hobby I ever picked up on my own, besides being Chat Noir of course. I mean, I like fencing, and piano, and modeling, but all of those hobbies were chosen by my parents for me to do. Physics is the one thing that’s all mine. Plus, it’s super helpful when I’m trying to figure out how fast I need to be when I want to jump from one roof to another as Chat. Doing quick calculations in my head about velocity can be the difference between me making it or falling. My suit will help soften the fall, and I most likely won’t die from falling off the roof... but the Eiffel Tower is a different story. 

I don’t even notice that my alarm is still going off until I hear Nathalie walk into my room, “sir? Are you awake? You need to go on your morning run before school.” 

I hit the ‘stop’ button on my phone screen and the alarm stops, “yeah. Sorry Nathalie. I was just finishing up some school work.” 

“You know if you get behind on your schedule, your father will not hesitate to pull you out of school.” 

I sigh as I get up from my desk, closing my physics book, “I know Nathalie. It won’t happen again. I promise. I’ll be on my run in two minutes. I just have to change.” 

With that, Nathalie closes my door. I walk over to my closet and pull on a loose t-shirt and a pair of shorts. It’s currently six in the morning, so nobody will be out on the streets just yet. Therefore, I don’t care what I wear running. I know I’m always supposed to look presentable, so I look like the golden boy, but I just don’t care. It’s too early to care. 

I take my phone from my desk, grabbing my headphones in the process, and head out of my bedroom. As soon as I get to the staircase, I hear his voice, “I knew this schooling would mess with your schedule.” 

I turn to face him, “Father, please. I’m only four minutes behind.” 

“But four minutes will eventually lead to ten, then thirty, and then eventually you’ll lose that rhythm all together. As you go through high school, the work load will become tougher, which will make you fall farther and farther behind. So it may be four minutes this year, but what about next year? I don’t know if I can allow this Adrien. It will get in the way of all your other activities, and I simply cannot allow that. Especially if it messes with your modeling schedule. I run a business and I need you to be there, understood? I’m sorry Adrien, but this is too much for you. I can see the bags under your eyes. That is not good for your image, let alone mine. What will people think about me if they see you’re not well rested and groomed?” 

I study his posture. It’s so straight and rigid as always. His hands are clasped together, and he glares down at me with those same, cold, eyes. The more I look at him, the more I have trouble believing he’s actually my father. He wasn’t always like this. I mean, I always had a strict schedule and I was always home alone, but he never acted like this until my mother disappeared. 

I take my gaze away from his eyes and look towards the front door, “I’m perfectly capable of doing this father. In case you didn’t know, I’m currently top of my class. I’m four weeks ahead in almost all of my classes, I’m still keeping up with all the events I need to go to for your fashion line, I still fence, play piano, and take Chinese lessons...” and I’m Chat Noir, “but you don’t even care to take notice in my achievements if they have nothing to do with you. I’m so sorry my happiness is such an inconvenience to you and your career. I forgot I’m merely a chess piece for you to use. I’ll remember next time that I’m only a business transaction and not your son. I apologize father for disappointing you yet again.” 

“Adrien-” I don’t see his face soften because I’m already at my front door, walking out. As soon as my left foot hits the pavement, I’m sprinting. I never sprint, usually I jog, but damn, I really need my adrenaline going. 

I hate fighting with my father. I just wish things would go back to the way they were when my mom was around. I miss her so much. There’s so much I never really knew about her. She was an actress, but I’ve never seen any movies in which she stared in. She was so artistically talented. Same with my father. I don’t know why I excel in sciences and athletics more than I do music or art. Maybe if I were artistic, I would make my dad proud for once. Nothing I do ever makes him proud... 

I feel my lungs starting to burn, like a fire was set off in them, and my muscles are screaming for me to stop sprinting, but I can’t stop. I actually run faster, which I shouldn’t have done, since my muscles give out and I fall on the sidewalk. I feel the skin on my knees and hands tear as my body skids across the pavement. My chin hits the ground, and I can tell a cut has been made, “goddammit...” 

“Adrien?” I hear Chloe’s voice up ahead and the click of her shoes quickly follow, “God, Adrien! What happened?” I feel her soft hand wrap around my arm as she pulls me up from the ground. 

“Nothing. I was just running. I tripped on something and fell.” 

“Okay, well that’s a lie. I watched you sprinting all the way until your body decided to give up from exhaustion. Tell me what happened,” her blue eyes stare up at mine. I take time to notice she doesn’t have her makeup on yet. I like it when she doesn’t wear makeup. She actually hates makeup. The only reason she wears it is to impress her mother. The things we do for our parent’s approval. 

“Got into an argument with my dad,” I say nonchalantly. 

“About?” 

“Basically how he doesn’t actually care about me or what I do unless it messes with his work or my picture perfect image,” I say more bitterly than I should. 

“Oh come on Adrikins. You and I both know he does care about you. Under that cold, hard exterior of a father is a man with a heart of gold. One that loves you dearly. It’s the reason why he’s so strict with you. He wants to keep you safe, so you don’t disappear like your mom.” 

“I know Chloe, I know. It’s just-” 

“Frustrating? Stupid? Yeah. I know. He has a funny way of showing it, but at least you know he cares. I mean, he knows your name...” 

Chloe reverts her gaze and her hand finally falls off my arm. I feel my face frown, and soon, my own arms wrap around her small frame. Chloe’s mom has never been around. She goes back and forth between Paris and New York, the two biggest fashion cities in the world. Of course, she spends most of her time in New York. The most contact Chloe ever gets with her mother is a very belated birthday card. Every single one spells her name wrong, or has a completely different name addressed to it. Yeah, my dad may suck, but Chloe’s life is so much worse than my own. 

“Hey, don’t you dare go to that place Chloe. Your father loves you and I love you. Blood doesn’t make family,” I say calmly. 

Chloe pulls away from me and gives a weak smile, “I know that. But just because my mother doesn’t see how wonderful I am, doesn’t mean she never will. I’m not giving up on her yet.” 

Chloe has only ever acted bratty and stuck up because that’s how her mother is. Audrey Bourgeois is not a person you ever say no to. She can ruin your reputation in the blink of an eye. Chloe always seems to think, that if she acts like her Audrey, then maybe, just maybe, her mom will finally notice her. I believe Mrs. Bourgeois can notice how truly wonderful Chloe is when she’s just herself, but the only problem is, is Chloe thinks my belief is idiotic. I really hope one day Chloe will realize how caring of a person she is, and then she’ll finally be able to show it to the world. But that day is far, far away. Until then, I’m Chloe’s world: the only person who has ever seen her true colors. It’s honestly the biggest compliment anyone could ever give me. Chloe trusts me enough to show me her most vulnerable side. I couldn’t ask for anything more than that. 

Chloe pauses before speaking again, looking off to the side making sure not to meet my eyes, “You should probably get home and clean yourself up. We’ve got school in an hour.” 

“No. I don’t want to go back there. Can I use your shower? I know I still have some clothes there from the last time I slept over,” I ask as I finally begin to feel the stinging sensation from where I’ve been cut. 

Chloe sighs and rolls her eyes, “you know Adrien, if you want me to see you naked that badly you don’t have to be so nonchalant,” she smirks 

I roll my eyes and gently push her, “oh shut up Chlo,” and with that, I hear her laugh. That’s a hard noise to get out of Chloe Bourgeois, but that sound is always music to my ears. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Chloe and I walk to school together. My phone has seventeen messages from my father, but I don’t listen to a single one of them. I’ll deal with him later when I get home. He probably won’t be there because of work, but I don’t care either way. The same deal happens every time we fight. He and I both apologize for how we acted, he buys me a new game for my console, and then we never speak of it again. 

“So what did you think of Dupain-Cheng's apology last night?” Chloe asks me, breaking me free of my thoughts. 

“Honestly, I was grateful for it. Left me confused as hell, but it was nice to know she actually has a heart,” I shrug. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about Marinette more often since she did apologize. I don’t know why. I haven’t thought about her until right now, but that’s only because of the thing with my dad. If I didn’t have to think about that, my mind would still be on Marinette and how our dynamic will be from now on. The talk with Ladybug helped me calm my nerves a bit, but she can’t possibly begin to understand the complexity of Marinette and my relationship: especially now, “but, we’ll see how things play out today. Should be interesting.” 

We finally reach the steps of the school, “don’t let her fool you that easily. Her kindness can be kind of manipulative. Why do you think I was friends with her so long before realizing she was actually just using me to push her fashion career.” 

I don’t know how much I believe that story. That’s just how Chloe sees it. I know Marinette isn’t a monster. A bitch? Yes. A person who holds grudges for way too long? Yes. But a manipulative person? No. It doesn’t match her character whatsoever. She does care about people, that’s why she has so many friends and I don’t. People look up to her because they trust her judgement and because she’s kind. She never steers anyone the wrong way, except for me. If Marinette says I’m the bad guy, then I’m the bad guy in everyone’s eyes. 

Honestly, if I never tried to remove that stupid ass piece of gum from her seat, we’d probably get along really well. But I cannot stand people who see black and white. The world is full of different shades of grey. It’s like the moment she laid eyes on me, a computer wrote a report that said ‘asshole’ on it, and now that’s the only way she can see me. No thank you. I don’t need an ignorant person in my life. She can’t see the beauty in even the most broken souls, and that’s a person I can never bring into my life. 

Now Ladybug is different. She saw how broken I was from the moment we met, and she still looked at me like I was human. She never felt sorry for me and never treated me any differently than her own family. She sees the world in technicolor, this capacity of beauty and wonder I can’t even begin to fathom. The kindest of souls, the most open-minded person, the light in everyone’s life. No, Marinette is nothing like Ladybug... 

As Chloe and I walk up the stairs, nobody gives us a second glance, per usual, but I catch a glimpse of blue I never see in my peripheral vision. It’s Marinette. Her eyes are looking straight at me. I don’t look back. I never do, so why start now? We aren’t friends. We will never be friends. 

I see Chloe smile in approval, “Good job Adrikins. I told you, she doesn’t deserve the time of day,” I just chuckle in response. Never have I ever seen Chloe loath anyone more than Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

I walk over to my locker, and Chloe walks to hers. As I put my physics book away, I pick up my Biology textbook just as I hear footsteps approach me. I turn around expecting Chloe, but instead I see jet black hair and blue eyes looking at me. 

I let out a sigh, “what do you want?” 

Marinette rolls her eyes, “look, I just want to touch base with you. After yesterday... I just don’t know where we exactly stand with one another.” 

“Why does anything have to change? I will never get along with you, you will never get along with me, we will never be friends. I don’t know what has to change,” I say for the first time aloud. 

“I know we aren’t going to be friends you idiot. I just want to know if we’re still at war.” 

“That really depends on you and your little friend group. I’ve never wanted to cause as much trouble as I already have.” 

Marinette physically snorts, “If that were true, you would have never placed the gum on my seat.” 

“God, how many times do I have to tell you? I was trying to take it off!” 

“You will continue to say it until I believe you... so you’ll never stop saying it” 

“God, you’re so annoying,” I close my locker and start walking towards class. Marinette follows close behind. 

“Better to be annoying than to be a bully alongside Chloe.” 

“Better to be alongside Chloe than be a spoiled princess.” 

“You’re calling me the spoiled princess, Mr. Model?” 

I didn’t say anything. She doesn’t deserve to know what it’s actually like being ‘Mr. Model.” Spoiler alert: it’s hell. 

“Hmph,” I hear her say triumphantly, “that’s what I thought.” 

We both walk in to class and I take my seat next to Chloe just as the bell rings. 

“Alright class, today we are starting a partner project,” Ms. Mendeleiev says before revealing an upside down flash hanging from a support stand. Inside it is an egg, “Now, I got this egg I here. Believe it or not, this egg is not hard boiled. The only thing I did to this egg was place it in vinegar over night. You and your partner’s job is to determine how I got the egg in here, and how I got it to stay in here. You will also need to recreate the experiment at home to prove you don’t team up with another group and cheat. This assignment will be worth 25% of your final grade. You have a week to complete this lab. The pair who completes it first will win a special prize.” 

Chloe and I look at each other. We always work together on partner assignments, cause nobody else will. But we don’t mind that much. Chloe is actually a really smart girl, so we have this in the bag. The experiment doesn’t seem too tricky, I already have an idea on how to solve it. 

“Now, I will be assigning partners this time around, because in life, you will have to work with people you don’t know well or don’t like. In doing so, you grow as a person,” my eyes widen upon hearing this news. Dear God please don’t let it be, “Adrien Agreste, you will be partnering up with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” 

I look at the row across from me to see Marinette looking back. Oh dear God, why me?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette meets Gabriel... and it isn't pretty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know... I've been MIA for a while now. It's like January hit and then my schedule filled up. So, I graduated high school! I'm done with school until the fall, so I SHOULD be able to update more. I think I have a rough idea of where I want this story to go, but nothing is set in stone!
> 
> Here's an extra long part to make up for the long break. I hope you enjoy :)
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette's POV

“Now, I will be assigning partners this time around, because in life, you will have to work with people you don’t know well or don’t like. In doing so, you grow as a person. Adrien Agreste, you will be partnering up with Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

My heart stops and I immediately look over to Adrien. He looks over milliseconds later. I see his green eyes go wide before he scowls, “I’m sorry. I refuse to work with her.”

Ms. Mendeleiev sighs, “I’m sorry Mr. Agreste, but my random generator matched you two up. Like I said earlier, you have to work with people you don’t get along with.”

I watch him sigh as he slouches in his seat. I’m still staring at him, even as the other pairs are called. I don’t even know what to think. I’m not exactly mad, but I’m not happy either. Adrien Agreste is an enigma, and my sick, twisted mind wants to solve the mystery that is him. I’m a very observant person. I notice every time I bring up his father, his shoulders tense. It’s so slight that an untrained eye wouldn’t be able to see it, but I’m a very, very empathetic person. I read people like books. Something about being called Mr. Model strikes this nerve in him, and I don’t know why... but I want to find out.

I want to know many things about him. Why is he friends with Chloe? Why is this his first year in public school? Does he like being the face of his father’s company? What is it like to be Adrien Agreste? Is it nice? Bad? Frustrating? Why is he such an asshole? Is there any way he can change? Does he truly hate me? Is this feud his fault or mine? Never mind that last question. It’s his. Definitely his.

Even if he is telling the truth and he was trying to take the gum off my seat, he never made the stride to prove me he wasn’t a horrible person or a bully. He’s acted the same since the first day he walked into this godforsaken classroom.

Then I see a hand in front of my face. It’s waving back and forth, blocking my view of Adrien, “Earth to Marinette...”

I blink a few times and turn to face Alya, “Sorry. I’m just so confused.”

“I know. I’m sorry you have to work with daddy’s boy. That’s not fair at all. Especially since you’ll probably be doing all the work miss class president and salutatorian.”

I laugh a little bit, “You and I both know biology isn’t my forte. Science in general isn’t. I may be second in the class, but I don’t know if we’ll be solving this one any time soon. But the experience will sure be... interesting.”

“You have to let me know everything that happens girl. And I mean everything. How many servants he has. How big his room is. How big his closet is. Look to see if he has a pool room, most rich people do. I want to know how spoiled that Mr. Model is.”

I playfully roll my eyes at my friend, “Will do Alya, will do.”

“Oh by the way. Are you free Friday? I want to get a group together for the movies,” Alya asks, changing the subject off of Adrien: which I’m grateful for.

"Umm, no. It’s inventory day at the bakery. I have to help my parents,” I say lying through my teeth. Friday is my first official date with Chat, and there is no way in hell I’m missing that.

“Oh come on. Can't you get out of it? Luka’s gonna be there...” she says with a smirk while wiggling her eyebrows.

“No, I can’t. Sorry. Also, why does it matter if Luka’s gonna be there?”

“He’s been away at Idyllwild Arts Academy in America for almost a year, and he’s finally coming home this weekend. Don’t you want to see him?”

“Of course I do, but I video chat him every night. He’s not physically there, but in spirit he is.”

Alya’s eyebrows wiggle, “Oooh, you two getting serious?”

I raise my own eyebrow, “We’ve been best friends for years. What do you mean?” 

Alya rolls her eyes at me and sighs, “Oh come on. Drop the ‘friend’ act. You two have been getting closer to one another for months now. You’re practically dating. And everyone ships you together. Why not make it official?”

I laugh at this, “No, no, no. Luka will only ever be my best friend. I’ve known him for way too long. He’s like my older brother.” I could never date Luka. I love him, yes. He’s been there for me since I met Juleka in first grade. We’ve been pretty much inseparable since then. I’ve never liked him like that, and he hasn’t liked me like that either.

“I don’t think Luka sees it like that...” Alya says with contempt.

“I’ve known him for way longer than you have. Trust me, he does.”

Before Alya can respond, the bell rings. She pulls her backpack over her shoulder and salutes to me as she walks out the door.

I place my backpack on my desk to gather up my things, but as I do, I see a hand slap down on the table. I look up to see Adrien.

“We can work at my place after school. I want to get this project over and done with so I have my Marinette time be as minimal as possible.”

I scoff, “Look, I’m not looking forward to this either, but you don’t have to be such a dick about it. I regret ever apologizing to you. You don’t deserve forgiveness if you’re never gonna change your horrendous attitude.”

“Wow, I’m so hurt by that. You act like your forgiveness is something important to me. Just meet me here after school to gather up the materials we need and then we’ll go to my house,” and with that, he turns on his heel and walks out the door with Chloe.

I clench my fists go back to packing up my bag, “God, I hate Adrien Agreste...”

“Me too. He thinks he knows everything about music just cause he can play piano,” I look up to see a familiar blue haired boy, smirking from the door.

My legs react before I can process what’s going on. A few seconds later, my arms wrap around his neck. He quickly wraps his arms around my torso to engulf me in a tight embrace, “What the hell are you doing here!? You weren’t supposed to be back until Friday.”

I feel his arms fall from my waist and he looks down at me, “I know, but I came home early because I’m dropping out of Idyllwild,”

My eyes widen, “What? Why? Luka, you’ve been dreaming about this school for years. You can’t just drop out! Music is your dream. Nope. Sorry. You’re going back to that school. I won’t le-”

I feel his finger press onto my lips to shut me up, “Will you let me finish? I’m dropping out because I have to.”

“Have to? What do-”

“Marinette...”

“Sorry...” I press my lips together and wait for him to speak.

He looks at me for a few moments to make sure I won’t interrupt him again, “I have to drop out because I’m opening for Jagged Stone on his next world tour,” I see the side of his lips pull into a smirk as he finishes his sentence.

“Oh my god, LUKA! That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you!” I scream before attacking him with a hug again. I must have literally jumped into his arms because I can feel him stumble backwards.

He lets out a laugh and buries his head into the crook of my neck, “Thanks ‘nette,” I feel the vibration of his voice on my shoulder.

It was nice to hug him again, but I pulled back so I could speak to him, “How the hell did you manage to get the spot of opening act for Jagged freaking Stone?”

“That boarding school wasn’t kidding when it stated it would prepare you for the music world. Each department had mentors they worked with, and the guitarists had Jagged Stone. He liked my stuff and said he saw a bit of him in me, and then a few months go by, I wrote three EP’s, and he said I should open for him. I couldn’t turn it down... Marinette, this is my dream. I’m 17 and I’m already 50 steps ahead.”

“When do you leave? I hope not soon. I want to spend time with you... I’ve missed having my best friend around. I want to be selfish and keep you here.”

Luka’s face drops a bit, “I leave in two weeks.”

I blink a few times, “...okay. And how long is this tour?”

“14 months...”

“So we won’t even be able to spend holiday together? Or my 16th birthday. Or Christmas... Oh my goodness you won’t be at my house for our annual baking day,” I feel my face fall into a frown and I look to the ground, but I soon feel Luka’s finger lift up my chin.

“I know. I’m bummed too. I really, really am ‘nette, but we have these two weeks. And I’ll see you Friday with everyone else, right?”

I let out a grunt and facepalm, “ugh, I can’t Friday. I have inventory that day,” I love Chat and all, but it kinda sucks he’s taking a day away from the best friend I haven’t seen in months.

“That’s cool. I can come help you guys! It will be like I never left. I’d love to see mama and papa dupain-cheng.”

My eyes snap open immediately, “uhhh. You can’t! Uhhh, you see, umm my mom and dad are getting new ingredients delivered, and nobody outside the family can see them. We don’t want to risk anyone getting our baking secrets. Yeah...”

“Oh come on, you think I’m going to tell anyone? Marinette, it’s me. We’ve been best friends since you were 6. I think 9 years of friendship proves I’m part of the family.”

“I’m sorry Luka, you can’t help out.”

First Luka frowns, then he squints his eyes before lifting one of his eyebrows. He’s studying me, I know he is. He always does this when he thinks I’m lying. I try my best to keep a straight face, but I know I didn’t do good enough of a job since I see his frown turn into a smirk, “Okay, what is this really about?”

“I already told you, I have inventory,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I’ve known you for almost a decade Mari, you aren’t fooling me. Tell me!”

I bite my lip and try to think of something. I can’t tell him that I’m going on a date with Chat Noir as Ladybug. I could never put him in danger like that. But, I could tell him, “I have a date... but I don’t know if it’s gonna be anything serious. So I don’t want anyone knowing. Especially Alya. She’ll blow it way out of proportion. It’s just a coffee date, so it’s not that big of a deal. I don’t even know if I like him yet,” it’s the perfect lie: crafted from the truth. I hate lying to Luka though. I’ve never kept a secret from him. But, that all changed when he left and I got the miraculous.

“Oh... well. I hope you have fun,” I feel like Luka’s tone shifted a bit, but I can’t quite put my finger on why. But it went away as quickly as it came, “and don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me,” he winks and places his arm around me, “have fun. And if this guy hurts you, I’m one call away from kicking his ass.”

I chuckle a little at the thought of Luka hurting someone. He would never. Luka has too big of a heart to hurt anybody. He always puts other’s feelings before his own. Always.

I wrap my arm around him and side hug him, “I really did miss you though.”

“I did too ‘nette. Could I walk you to your next class?”

“Of course you can,” and with that, Luka takes my hand and walks me down the hallway, and for some weird reason, the world feels like it’s shattering.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day goes by really fast. I don’t know if it’s from the excitement of Luka being home or if it’s from the nerves of going to the Agreste mansion in 20 minutes. I place all my books back into my locker before I see Tikki flutter to sit on the top shelf.

“Are you alright Marinette?” she can always sense when I’m not myself. Must be some kind of unexplainable bond we have. I can always tell when Tikki is upset or hurt as well.

I nod my head, “yeah, I will be. It’s a two week project. I’ll survive.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. I can tell you’re mad at Luka.”

I’m a little taken aback by this statement, “what? No I’m not. I’m happy for him,”

“You can be happy for him and still be upset about him leaving.”

“Well of course I’m upset he’s leaving. But he’s living his dream, so I’m not mad at him.”

“Marinette...”

“What Tikki?”

“I would believe you, but your death grip on the locker seems to tell me otherwise.”

I look over to see my knuckles turning white. I didn’t even realize I was doing that.

“So, I’m going to ask again. Are you okay Marinette?”

“No, I’m not okay. Luka is leaving me. Again! And soon enough, he’ll shut me out. Just like Chloe did. He’ll forget all about me and only care about his music world. He’ll forget what we had and pretend like I don’t even exist. That’s what happens when you let people into your life. They always end up hurting you in the end. So it’s a balancing act. You either let people into your life just to have them break your heart... or you never even let them come close. That way you’ll never be hurt. Either way, it’s a wicked game to play. You’re never satisfied.”

“But what about Chat Noir? You two seem awfully close.”

“Chat Noir is different. I know he’d never betray me. He doesn’t have two sides like everybody else. He’s authentically him all the time.”

“But that sounds like Luka as well.” 

“No, it’s different. I’ve been drawn to Chat since the first day we met. It’s like he... completes me. Kind of like we were crafted from the same soul. I think he’s my soul mate Tikki... I really do. I’ve never felt like this with another person. I never knew this kind of feeling existed. And I know I’m only 15 and there are tons of fish in the sea... but I can’t even imagine my life without him.”

“I might have something to do with that,” Tikki says with a sigh, “Chat Noir’s kwami and I were made from the same matter. We were split in half, and each half holds two different personalities: good luck and bad luck. Creation and destruction. Yin and Yang if you will. Plagg and I... we complete each other. He is my soul mate... well I guess that’s as good as I can describe it for you to understand. It’s hard to explain things to humans sometimes.”

I smile upon hearing this, “Aww, Tikki. You have a soul mate? Plagg was his name? It must be amazing having a soul mate. No fighting, no conflict, just love and understanding.”

"That’s not how soul mates work Marinette,” Tikki says, “We were crafted to complete one another. We are polar opposites. We fight all the time. We actually hated each other up until a few millennia ago because we were so different.”

I raised my eyebrow, “Really? What changed?”

“I can’t say much about the past, but Plagg injured me. Really, really badly. To the point where I almost stopped existing. Along with that injury, Plagg started weakening too. The world almost ended because creation cannot be without destruction and vice versa. We needed each other, and neither of us realized until that moment in time.”

“What do you mean the world almost ended?”

“If creation no longer exists, then destruction is all the remains. The world would have literally destroyed itself if I stopped existing,” Tikki further explains, “Plagg and I, we have to work together. It's a balancing act. If one of us tries to take control, the world starts shifting in one direction or the other.”

“That’s terrifying... but I’m confused on how you two being made from the same matter relates to Chat Noir and me.”

“To be a holder of the cat and ladybug miraculous, you two also have to be crafted from the same matter. Otherwise our power will reject the holders and they won’t be able to fuse with us.”

“So Chat Noir and I are soulmates?” I say almost hopeful.

“I would say yes, the only thing that makes me apprehensive to say you are is the fact you two didn’t start hating each other from the moment you met.” 

“But why does that matter? How does that disprove us being soulmates?” 

“If you two were truly soulmates, you would hate each other. Remember, you complete one another, so you should be polar opposites. You and Chat are crafted from the same matter, otherwise you wouldn’t be superheroes, but you may not be complete opposites made from that matter. If you aren’t then you can’t be soulmates.”

I furrow my eyebrows together, “this doesn’t make sense to me. I thought soulmates were supposed to be the exact same and very similar to one another... not polar opposites.”

Tikki stays silent for a while before speaking, “okay, think of it as puzzle pieces. Two very similar puzzle pieces can never fit together, no matter how hard you try. They have the same curves, so they can’t be placed together. However, there are only two specific pieces that can fit together. Those two pieces are polar opposite of one another. They complete one another and lock in together to complete the picture. Soulmates are like those mismatched puzzle pieces.”

“So you’re saying Adrien Agreste has a better chance of being my soulmate that Chat Noir ever will?” I shudder at the thought of every having romantic feelings for that model.

“I mean, yes and no. I’m not saying you and Chat Noir can’t be soulmates, your initial attraction may wear off and you may run into major problems. If that happens, I think you may be soulmates. But as of right now, you and Adrien are closer to being soulmates, yes.”

“I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.”

Tikki just laughs, “Oh Marinette... you two don’t hate each other as much as you think you do. If anything, you two flirt more than you loath one another.”

“Tikki!”

“Hey, don’t hate the messenger. I know these things like the back of my hand. I am millennia older than you.”

“Well, you have the wrong reading about us. Adrien and I would never, ever work out,” I slam my locker closed.

“Hi Marinette,” I nearly scream when I see the blonde waiting for me behind the locker.

“H-how long have you been standing there?”

Adrien shrugs, “long enough to know you talk to yourself. And apparently about a relationship between you and me...”

“Woah, don’t flatter yourself there pretty boy. There is NO way I’d ever actually like you.”

Adrien leans in close to me and smirks “are you lying?”

I feel heat rush to my face. I try my hardest to suppress it, but nothing worked. The blush showed, “You wish I were.”

He smirks, obviously noticing my reddened ears and cheeks, “You’re late by the way. You were supposed to meet me in the biology lab 20 minutes ago,” he twists on his foot to leave, and I follow quickly behind.

“I’m sorry, I was... busy doing other things. I had to make sure I had all of my books. I have three tests this week,” I say lying through my teeth.

“I don’t care what your excuse is, you were late. I was waiting with all the supplies we need in the chem lab 20 minutes ago. I don’t like it when people are late, it’s rude and disrespectful.”

I scoff and roll my eyes, “Calm down. It’s not like I was intentionally avoiding you.”

“I know you weren’t, but the world doesn’t revolve around you, in case you didn’t notice. You wasted my time, which I don’t have a lot of in the first place. Be mindful of other people it’s a great life skill to learn.”

“Oh, so then the world revolves around then. Cause if someone waste’s Mr. Model’s time, then they’re rude.”

“That’s not what I said, don’t twit my words. I’m just saying that you should be mindful of everyone, not just yourself, because the world concerns everybody,” Adrien sighs and turns around to face me, “I’m not trying to be rude. It probably came off that way...I’m sorry. I just forget that most people don’t have to schedule every second of their life like I do. Just... when I ask you to meet you somewhere, please try and be on time. Time is a very valuable thing to me.” 

I stay silent for a while before speaking again, “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll- I’ll try to be more mindful.”

He gives me a small smile and turns back around to walk again. I didn’t even notice until now that he was holding a box full of beakers and other science materials we’ll need for the project. This was a weird side of Adrien I’ve never seen before. It weirdly reminded me of Chat. Whenever he gets worked up, he always, always apologizes after or explains why he’s acting the way he does. 

I quick up my pace so I can walk next to Adrien instead of behind him, “You said you had an idea on how to do this project?”

Adrien looks a little surprised that I’m trying to make casual conversation with him, but he says nothing against it. Instead he clears his throat to respond, “Umm, yeah. I was thinking we hard boil the egg, then use a flame inside the beaker to slowly suction the egg into it.”

I furrow my eyebrows together, “No, we can’t do that. She specifically said she didn’t hard boil the egg. We’d lose the credit if we did it that way.”

Adrien sighs, “Crap. I forgot about that. Umm, we’ll look in my biology book when we get home and try to figure out ways to do it. I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.”

I nod and keep walking only to notice a few steps later that Adrien isn’t next to me.

“Hey. Marinette. My house is right here,” he says pointing up to the giant mansion ahead of us.

I feel my jaw physically drop, “This is where you live?”

Adrien does something I’ve never heard him do before. He laughs. A real, happy laugh. Not the one he does when he makes fun of me.

“What did you expect? A famous fashion designer and movie star to live in a shack?”

“I-I don’t really know what I was expecting, but I definitely wasn’t envisioning it to be this extravagant.”

“You think this is extravagant? Just wait until you see my room. I have a rock climbing wall in there.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not. I never use it, but it’s there.”

“Must be nice...” I trail off as we start to walk inside.

“You know, there are things you have that I wish I did. Money is nice, but they’re right when it says it doesn’t buy happiness.”

He must be referring to his mother. She went missing around a year ago. It was all over Paris news sources for months. It was the only thing people talked about: the picture perfect family, broken up by a horrible tragedy. However, I soon saw that that wasn’t the only thing he was talking about.

As soon as he opened the door into his home, Adrien’s father was standing at the top of the steps. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adrien immediately become rigid and almost fearful.

“You ran away from me this morning before our conversation was over. You will not disrespect me in this household Adrien. I provide everything for you and-” his eyes land on me, “Who’s this?”

“Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She’s a classmate. We have a biology project to work on together.” Adrien sounds so small and mousey. He’s a completely different person from the confident and cocky asshole I know.

“Oh… a group project. Yet another thing to interfere with your schedule.”

“I-it won’t father. I promise. It won’t take us long. We will probably be done with it by tonight and-“

His father cuts Adrien off, “I told you this morning, before you stormed off like a child, that if school interferes with the rest of your life, I am pulling you out of it. It’s like you don’t even listen to me anymore. It’s in one ear and out the other, isn’t it? I graciously gave you the chance to stop home schooling, but look what it has done to you. Turned you into a rebelling teenager, who only thinks selfishly. Who only thinks about what he wants. You were never like this before. I don’t like who you’ve become.”

“Father please. I-"

“I don’t want to hear it Adrien. This project better be done by tonight. And I better never see another one of your friends here again after tonight. You know I don’t like company, especially when unannounced,” Mr. Agreste’s eyes burn into mine. I almost break down right there.

“Yes father. We will be done tonight,” Adrien whispers softly, “Let’s go Marinette.”

He doesn’t turn to look at me; he just keeps his eyes on the floor while walking upstairs. We round the corner into his room, and I don’t even bother to look round and gape at everything he has. My eyes don’t leave him. He drops the box of beakers and other supplies on his bed. Once he does, his body stays slouched. His eyes are shut tight, like he’s holding back tears.

I clench my fists and take in a deep, yet short, breath before waling over to him, “Adrien… I had no idea this is what your home life was like… I’m so sorr-“

Adrien cuts me off before I finish, “Of course you had no idea.” There is venom in his voice, enough to make my eyes go wide and body to go still, “because you never wanted to get to know me. You never wanted to see all sides of me. All I am to you is a fucking asshole who put gum on our seat my first day of school! You don’t care what my home life is like. You never cared. You never will care! You see in black and white Marinette. You see a perfect model boy who gets everything handed to him. But you’re blind! OF COURSE YOU HAD NO IDEA!”

There are tears streaming from his face like a river. I take a moment to compose myself before responding, “you’re right.”

Adrien is obviously taken aback by my response. He opens his eyes, finally, and looks at me, waiting for me to elaborate.

I carefully think of how I want to word this, “Believe it or not, I struggle with mental illness. I used to be bullied a lot, especially by Chloe, and it drove my self-esteem into the ground. I hit rock bottom a few years ago when I had no friends, and no way to cope with my head. I’ve gotten better since then, and I still see a therapist weekly. I’m at a place in my life now, where I have friends, and I can honestly say I’ve never been happier in my life. But, on the first day of high-school, I saw a boy trying to bullying me. He was placing gum on my chair. That alone made me regress. Why did this new guy that I’ve never met hate me? Second later, I see that he’s friends with the girl who drove my self-esteem down the drain: Chloe,” 

I pause and look over at him. I smile a bit when I notice how intently he is listening, “You’re right. I never wanted to get to know you. Up until recently, you were another person that was trying to make me go back to rock bottom. In a way… my brain was trying to cope with information it didn’t quite understand yet. It split you as a person and sorted you into a label that was easy for me to use so I could protect myself. I’m sorry. You didn’t… you don’t deserve that.”

Now was my turn to be taken aback by what Adrien says, “Get out.”

I blink a few times, fumbling for words “E-excuse me?”

“Did I stutter? I said get OUT, Marinette!”

“But the project…”

“I’ll do it. I’m valedictorian after all. I would have ended up doing all the work anyways. Just get the hell out of my house!”

I scoff, “I just spilled my heart out to you. I let you see the vulnerable side of me... I... just forget everything I just said Agreste… you don’t deserve my time. And to think I started feeling sorry for you.”

"I don't need anybody to feel sorry for me. What I need is for you to go away."

"Now I see why your father hates you. How couldn't he?"

I don’t get to see his reaction before I’m out the door and running back to my house. I stop before I even reach my house. I have to go somewhere else, “Tikki, spots on.”

Before I know it, I find myself swinging to the Eiffel Tower. Once I’m there, I stand at the very top and scream. I don’t care who hears me. I just need to get it out. So I scream, and I cry, and then scream some more. The funny thing is, is I don’t even know why. Why does Adrien Agreste matter so goddamn much?

I hate him. I hate him. I hate him…

 

 

 

So why does he matter?


End file.
